3 ways to cultivate a love of reading
By MARISSA DESPINS Updated April 04, 2024
As educators, we know that cultivating a life long love of reading is hugely valuable to the students we serve. Studies have shown that pleasure reading brings increased general knowledge, enhanced vocabulary, and has a positive impact on academic achievement.
That being said, the real challenge is turning our reluctant readers into kids who love books. As teachers, we need to consciously work towards promoting a love of reading in our classroom. But how do we do that? Today I share some tips and tricks that I have used with my learners to make reading something students see as pleasurable and valuable.
For no-prep reading activities that you and your learners will love, be sure to check out the ELA resources in my TPT shop by clicking on the image or button below!
Ways to promote a love of reading #1 – Share your Joy
Like all behaviors we want students to learn, we have to show them what a true love of reading looks like. This means we need to model it ourselves. It may sound obvious, but students need to see us enjoying books, talking about books, getting excited about books, and sharing books.
What are some ways you can share your book joy with students?
-Create a section of your library with “teacher favorites”. Kids will often gravitate towards the titles they know you enjoy.
-Share what you are reading with the class. Tell them all about new books that you are excited about. Tell them about ones you loved when you were there age. Share, share, share!
-Read when they are! During independent reading time, read along with them. They need to see you modeling the behavior of a reader. What a great way to show students that reading is something special and of value. This is especially important because many of our students do not have an adult in their life who they ever see modeling this important skill.
For additional information on sharing your book love, check out our guide to building an engaging classroom library!
Ways to promote a love of reading #2 – Make Time for it
As teachers, we all know the correlation between the amount of time that kids spend reading and their reading levels; quite simply, the more kids read, the better they will be at it. Studies consistently show the key role that reading volume plays in the development of comprehension, vocabulary, general knowledge, and cognitive structures. In “Reading in the Wild”, Donalyn Miller states:
“we cannot overlook one truth: no matter what standards we implement or reading tests we administer, children who read most will always outperform those who don’t read much“.
Even though we know this to be true, I have found that many teachers struggle with fitting in independent reading time in their classes. With standards to meet and tests to prepare for, independent reading is often something that falls to the wayside… and this is so sad!
It is so important that we make time for independent reading. If it something we value, we need to find ways to squeeze it in.
For more information on why I am so passionate about independent reading time, you can check out my previous posts here.
Independent Silent Reading: Why is it Important?
Tips and Tricks for Independent Silent Reading
Ways to promote a love of reading #3 – Book Talks
Sharing the books we love is a great way to get kids excited about reading. Some easy ways you can incorporate this into your classroom include:
-Having students share their favorites. When a student has finished a book, let them have the opportunity to share the book with the class!
-Invite other teachers and administrators in to share books they are reading.
-Invite community members or parents in to share.
I hope you are able to take away some ideas to help share the love of books with your learners!
For some of my very favorite books to share with your learners, be sure to check out my posts on middle school and upper elementary novel favorites!
Looking for some Great Books to Engage your Learners?
I have put together a FREE MIDDLE SCHOOL NOVEL LIST featuring a variety of genres and titles. These books have been tested with my own learners, and have been classroom favorites. You can download your own list here or by clicking on the image below.
Looking for Book Suggestions for your Classroom?
Check out the “bookshelf” section of my blog by clicking here. In this section I share my favorite books for upper elementary and middle school!
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